Trees trees trees

Last week we were busy with, you guessed it, trees. All the dead new trees that I talked about in the last blog have been removed, and new ones put in their place. We have ensured the rootballs were bigger this time, this should keep a lot more fibrous roots when lifted. We have replaced the 9 dead trees and planted another 12, some down the 10th hole, a couple on the 16th and the rest right of the 20th green. They should be a great addition to the course.

We have started with the removal of the dead and dying trees on the course, there are a lot more to do but we started on a cherry and thorn around the 10th hole. 

Now all planting is finished we can do a lot more in the coming month, especially if the weather remains wet.

We noticed bark damage on the chestnut tree on the 17th hole, this tree has looked weak for a number of years. On closer inspection there is rot starting on one of the bigger branches coming off the trunk. If this spreads the tree could eventually die. We will have to get our tree surgeon to have a look to see what are the recommendations for limiting damage.

We have had a mini excavator in to remove roots from trees on the 1st tee. these have been causing issues with turf health and overall safety gaining access to the teeing area. Fortunately they were mostly on the surface. So easily removed, just the edge of the tee to tidy and re turf the area.
The weather has remained unsettled at best, frosty mornings and wet days isn't ideal for getting on with crucial jobs such as aeration and fertiliser application. Merely taking machinery on and around greens what just cause more damage, so this has been delayed until the weather improves.